Hold Me Close
by DeviantSoul
Summary: Dave Strider is your regular cool kid. He gets through the day, hiding behind his facade of irony and shades... until he meets that one boy.
1. First Sight

**Wow... First insert u_u" Kinda nervous, I guess...**

**As a warning, this is some SadStuck, suggestive cutting and suicide in the future. DaveKat, of course 0u0 Major language, cuz of Karkat. I apologize for my screw-ups in advance u_u While planning this up, I felt at times that Dave was a little Ooc, so sorry for that too. And continually I was being distracted by Karkat's lovely voice on askkarkatvoice . tumblr. Yes, I am a fangirl of Karkat. Sue me.**

**I have this really bad habit of every time I type something, I write it down on a piece of paper also.**

**And here, I humbly present my first story.**

_Chapter 1_

* * *

Dave sighed, awakening from his slumber. Without opening his eyes, he reached over at the nightstand for his shades first, placing them over his brightly tinted irises. Secondly, he sat up, stiffening at the unfamiliarity of the room. He took a moment to remember; the Striders had moved.

It had been against his best interest, but Dave was unwilling to leave his bro so soon. He was only sixteen, and Dirk was the closest he had to a father, despite his obsession with smuppets and constant strife. Their true parents had divorced long ago, and as of recent, their father passed. Piling that on top of Dirk's boyfriend breaking up with him, the teen was ready for a change of scenery.

Oh, sorry? Give us a moment to rewind a bit to check that. Yes, you heard correctly, boyfriend. Being the King of Irony, Dirk was gay. As far as Dave knew, Rose, their sister who had went to live with their mother, had a girlfriend. He really didn't have a clue, they hardly ever talked and when they did, Dave was being egged out of psychological shit. It was a miracle [:o) ] Rose could even score anything past a best friend. He wondered, occasionally, if this so said girlfriend was deaf. That would be some irony right there.

Breaking his train of thought, as per the two previous paragraphs, Dave pushed himself off the bed, his back aching in protest. He almost expected to be greeted with an early morning strife, but none proceeded. Pulling a fresh shirt out from the top drawer, he traded it for the one he had slept in, a black one for a white with red sleeves. He didn't bother with his jeans, no one would probably notice. _Shit, I actually slept in last night's clothes, _he reminded himself. They had been unpacking and he must have forgotten to undress before getting in bed. It didn't really matter much, but it would have been uncomfortable as hell if he hadn't have passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Tossing the old shirt onto the bed, he pushed his shades further up the bridge of his nose and grabbed his backpack that had been lazily placed against the wall. Damn, first day at a school. Admittingly, he wasn't looking forward to it. But, his poker face would never faze and he would drive through, because that's what Striders do.

He headed of the dimly lit room and into the hallway, leading into the living room. Smuppets were tossed everywhere, plush rumps facing the ceilings. Standing in the middle of it all, Dave felt a slight unease. Slight. Living for years in this kind of environment, he should have been used to it now, but he never stopped looking over his shoulder when around the felt puppets. Except for Lil' Cal. Lil' Cal was cool.

A heavy silence hung over the home. Unlike the smuppets, Dave wasn't bothered by this. It was actually normal. Bro was often doing his own thing in his room, or on the room. Or he was slinking around where Dave couldn't see him. Heading for the door, he cautiously reached for the brass knob- without interruption. Now that was strange. Maybe for once, Dirk was being a little considerate and knew Dave was in a sour mood. Or, he was filming his puppets. Probably the latter.

Departing the living area, he called into emptiness, "Goodbye," and headed to the bus stop.

* * *

Coming near, he could see other kids his age were already standing about, four to be exact. Each had a unique look and they were conversing like old friends. The talking ceased when Dave arrived.

Without dropping his poker face, he accepted the stares. He had a strange look himself. Despite coming from Texas, he was unnaturally pale with fitting bleached blonde hair, an albino. Stirring the shades into the metaphorical bowl, and out popped an anti social looking douche. But he didn't look so uninviting because one of the girls greeted him.

"Ooohh," she literally cackled, "we have a _cool kid_ over here," she laid emphasis on 'cool kid'. She had large, red lenses glasses on that hid her eyes, but he didn't need to see them to tell she wasn't completely sane. Her hair was dark brown, almost black, and cut short at her shoulders. She wielded a cane, suggesting that she was blind, and every article of clothing on her had at least a stripe of red on them. She must have been a red fanatic.

Before Dave could make anymore observations, she leaned close and took a big sniff. Was she... smelling him?

"Come on. I showered just yesterday. I can't smell that bad," he protested, taking a step back.

She let loose another witch-like laugh. "You smell so delicious. Like cherries and snow!"

A kid came to his rescue. "Terezi. Don't frighten him before we can we can even meet him!" This one screamed dork. Freckles dotted his cheeks, edged by his thick rimmed glasses that enlarged his deep sky blue eyes. He had a massive overbite and black, peaked hair. All in all, he was kind of cute.

Nope, you did not just think that. Not in a suggestive way, more like in a younger brother way. Yeah, complete and total irony there.

"My name's John Egbert." He held out his hand with an enthusiastic grin. Oh, what a completely ironic name. Egderp was fitting.

"Strider. Dave Strider." Instead of taking his hand, he shot him a little gun with his finger making the kid turn a light shade of pink that made his freckles pop. He mumbled something incoherent.

"Terezi Pyrope." The first girl introduced herself properly, her malicious smile still plastered across her face. She whipped around and tugged on the arm of another kid. "C'mon, Tavros, meet the new guy!"

The boy was a stutterfest. Dave guessed he was just naturally like this, "Oh, um, hi." He had a mohawk sort of hairstyle, and he seemed like the small, nervous kid that always got picked on.

Speaking of picked on, another raven haired girl sauntered by and grabbed Tavros in a chokehold. "Ah, dear Pupa Pan is trying to make himself another friend." She had glassed similar to Egderp's, except she pulled off a daunting, bravado chick instead of flat out nerd. She had a leather jacket on, like some kind of wannabe biker.

Terezi didn't look pleased. "Vriska, I refrained from licking the guy. You could at least sacrifice a moment to not torture Tavros while we have a guest at the court."

Dave watched them bicker, unsure what to make of it all. Did he just gain new friends? He wasn't sure about the Vriska chick, but Terezi seemed cool and he might manage to get by with Egderp. Tavros... he wasn't sure about him, but he probably didn't have enough irony in him.

Before the argument could continue any further, the bus to school arrived. Grabbing their things, the little group headed inside the large yellow death wagon. Dave could hear yelling and what not from the inside, almost making him prefer staying outside with the possible, just-could-be, friends. John hesitated, looking down the street at the doors to the bus.

"Bro, what's the holdup?" Dave asked.

"Karkles isn't here yet. It isn't like him to skip out on school." He looked concerned.

Dave pushed him forward. "Worry about it later. The driver looks ready to blow his top."

John protested, but he was already forced into a seat. Seeing most of the bus was crowed, Dave sat at the front, John and Vriska to the side, and Tavros and Terezi behind him. The driver was about to close the doors when a shout arose from across the street. "Fuck! Wait!"

Grumbling to himself, the ironically creepy old guy paused, letting in...

Jegus, this guy was short.

He looked cranky as hell too. His skin was pale, like Dave's, but he had a mass of messy black hair. He was skinny and his grey sweater hung loosely around his frame, falling low to his mid thigh. He appeared disheveled, like he had just jumped out of bed, and papers were almost about to spill from his binder. Bags defined his...

His eyes were red. Not exactly, more like a dark brown with flecks of crimson but they were ... different. When the boy turned to pick a seat, Dave caught a glimpse of the darkening bruise on his cheek, almost the same dark tint as the bags defining those unique and gorgeous eyes.

_Fuck, did I just think 'gorgeous'?_

__While he had been busy doing poetry, he didn't notice the kid stop at his seat, a scowl on his face.

* * *

**Sooooo...**

**Tell me what you think, rate, review, and I'll try to put more out there.**

**May you have a lovely day 0u0**


	2. Fuckass

**Wow, a publish and update in one day. Don't expect this a lot from me 0u0**

**I already have a favorite! Such a delight, even though it's just one, it makes me happy to see anyone enjoying something I made. **

**If you wish, you can suggest other pairings that pop along in the story. All I really thought of as a side pairing was GamTav and EriSol. And if you were curious, the boyfriend that dumped Dirk is not Jake, just just random person that we shall never meet. I might put in Jake later.**

**I want to send a word out to the two guests that reviewed. **

**Nignig: **Haha, there might be some make outs, but none of that in this story. ;)

**Devi:** I can always count on my moirail. :)

**Onward to our tale! Karkat time!**

_Chapter 2-_

* * *

Holy fucking Jegus.

Out of all the places to sit on this bus, it had to be next to the guy that may as well have 'Insufferable Prick' flashing above his head. Karkat hissed, then realized the stranger was zoned out, staring at him like he had wings or shit.

"Take a picture, fuckass. I bet even that will run away from you." Karkat growled, snapping the boy out of his trance.

"...Why would I do that princess? The real deal is so much better." His snarky comment and small taunting smirk only drives Karkat farther to the edge.

"Take a seat." The bus driver said in a warning tone, looking at him from the wide mirror above his head.

Reluctantly, he was forced to sit down next to this shades-wearing douche, sitting as far as he could from him. Terezi leaned over the back of their seat, snickering. "Come _ooonn, _Karkles. Just once, can you show that you're not a total wad."

Karkat hissed, "You, fuck off, and don't you dare lick me as soon as we get off this shitty bus. I fucking hate that and you know it. You do it solely to piss me off."

A wild cackle was all he needed to confirm that he was right.

"So.. You're Karkles?" The Prick asked, raising a brow from behind those ridiculous shades.

"Karkat Fucking Vantas. Pleasure to fucking meet you." He grumbled, grinding his teeth at that nickname the others dubbed him with.

"Car and Cat?" He laughed, "Karkitty!"

"Fuck!" Karkat yelled, attracting the attention of the driver. "Don't you ever fucking call me that again!"

Terezi was practically squealing with laughter. "I'll remember that one, Dave!"

The douche named Dave looked proud at the attention he was getting. "Pure, ironic gold."

"Don't fucking tell me you're one of those 'ironic' assholes."

"'Fraid so, Vantas."

Jegus, that Texan droll was getting on his nerves. Everything about the guy just plain pissed him off. He didn't even looked like he was Texan, and suspected the accent was fake. He was so pale, he either never went outside or it was an albino pigment or something. And those shades. It took every ounce of self control in his body not to rip them off his face and smash them into the ground. It was almost like he was hiding something... Karkat squirmed in discomfort, not sure what made him think that.

"What's wrong, Karkles?" Terezi spoke out, some concern in her voice. "Getting rubbed the wrong way by Strider?" her annoying laughter returned.

Dave Fucking Strider. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Karkat sunk into his sweater, his brow creased as he told himself to stop placing 'fucking' in between words. It didn't really make him feel any better. The bruise on his cheek still ached and he was careful not to graze it. He let out a half-hearted, "Fuck you," as he was reminded of what had conspired this morning, the reason he had nearly missed the bus. He could imagine the look of surprise on Terezi's face at how slow he'd been to react, but that didn't cause him any giggling fits either. He tilted his head so he could glare at this Strider douche, as if blaming him for his troubles.

Dave raised a brow again, "Now who's looking for a picture, princess."

"Jegus, you are so fucking annoying. I hope you fall into a hole and die there, you nooksniffer." He managed out of spite. There wasn't much of a reaction, just a shrug and a question.

"What's a nook? Isn't that some techno gadget?"

Karkat groaned loudly, sinking into his seat. This was going to be a long ride.

* * *

He was the first out the bus when it stopped at the school, pushing past John and getting a weird look. That fucking Strider kid, how could anybody stand him. Terezi may as well had been slobbering over him and John already adored him. What made him so great? Everything he said had to relate to irony or shitty raps, and half the time none of it was even particularly amusing. The other half was just plain sad.

Before he could abscond into the building, Terezi was behind him, cackling and drawing her tongue across his cheek. Karkat flipped, screaming at her to get away and flailing his arms, creating quite the scene. She had him by the shoulders so he had to twist and turn to escape.

Suddenly, he felt strong, firm arms across his waist, lifting him off the ground. He cried out in surprise, and a little bit of pain when the pressure was pushed on the bruise on his side. He couldn't even see who was swinging him around until he heard his voice. "Jeez, you're like a giant, spitting, hissing, cat."

"Put me the _fuck_ down, Strider!" Karkat screeched, fighting to escape the bear hug. The kid was tall and skinny but he had a lot more strength than he originally put on.

He could hear the prick _laughing_ at him. "Nah, I think I'll carry you to your classes."

Karkat tried to kick the boy's legs, swinging his feet with an added length of curses and swears. Dave actually carried him into the school! By the time he was set down, a deep blush stained his cheeks.

He turned on him, "The fuck Strider? Why the hell did you carry me like that?!"

A shrug. "I wanted to. For the-"

"For the sake of fucking irony!" Karkat finished for him. He was beyond pissed. How dare he carry him around like that. They had only known each other for 20 minutes and he was way too familiar for Karkat's taste. He could already tell he was going to hate this guy's guts. And Dave seemed to relish in that fact. Every time Karkat yelled, he had that stupid smirk on his face.

He realized all the kids in the main hall were staring at them. Blushing a deeper red, he tucked his sweater collar up, obscuring his face. Damnit, of course this guy would go and fuck things up.

"Hey, Karbro."

Shit.

"Karbro, what's motherfucking up with you?" Gamzee Makara had spotted them, and was making his way to his side with honks added to each step. The juggalo looked stoned, his hair frizzy and sticking up everywhere. His violet tinted eyes were half closed, in a tired or amused sort of way. His dark tanned skin was contrasted by white face paint.

"Fucking nothing." Karkat snapped, shifting out of his defensive pose.

Gamzee raised his hands. "Whoa. Chill the motherfuck out, Karbro. Why the hostility?"

"That's fucking why." He hissed, raising a hand towards Dave. His expression never shifted.

Gamzee puffed up in a dramatic, intimidating way. "Motherfucker, you fucking with my Karbro?"

Strider just shrugged. "He's my bro too now. Share the love."

That puffed the Juggalo clown right back down. "Yeah, motherfucking love and miracles, brother. What's your motherfucking name."

Karkat groaned while the two made fast friends. He had been hoping at least Gamzee would chase the guy off. He'd rather deal with stoned juggalo clown than 'cool' kid douche. He caught Dave smirk at him, setting him off to a simmer. But he refrained from yelling for once. His ribs were hurting now, thanks to yours truly.

It didn't take long of conversing before the first bell rung. Students scattered, while Strider turned to Karkat. "Hey, where's your first class at?"

He scowled. "Mathematics."

Waving his schedule, Dave grinned. "Same."

Fuck.

* * *

**Crap ending is crap. **

**I feel like I royally messed up Gamzee, but I don't think I'll be having him around often after this. I'm hoping I don't have to go through the torture of using his quirk.**

**So, rate, review, favorite. Whatever you must to express your great displeasure or great enjoyment of this mess.**

**May you all have happy days ahead. 0u0**


	3. New Entertainment

**I felt like this was so delayed...**

**I'm sorrrayyy! ;-;**

**I rushed at the end, so it's probably crap.**

_Chapter 3_

* * *

Dave never smiled so much in the past. Probably even his entire lifetime combined couldn't amount to that warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. And it was because of Karkat. This must have been what it felt like getting a new toy after sixteen years of absolute zip. No matter what though, he would always be straight, even with how cute the midget was when he went off in one of his hate rants. Or how well his dark amber eyes went with his light skin and dark hair.

"Mr. Strider, would you care to get your head of your ass and pay attention to reality." The teacher, interupted his fantasies. Well, they weren't truly of his imagination. He could see Karkat just across the room. They had almost all of their classes together, save for the last period.

"Ah, yes. numbers and shit." Dave murmured, looking past Ms. Sanders at the board.

"Mind your tongue, boy," she snapped. "Just because I have a mouth doesn't mean you can. Too much talking back if everyone received such a privilege."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes of annoyance, even though she wouldn't have caught it. He didn't even need any of this; it was just reviews and things similar. When Ms. Sanders continued her lecture, he dipped right back into dreamland. His focus drifted back onto Karkat, whom was also occupied with something other than math.

Passing notes, it seemed, except he was just raising his notebook after scrawling down his replies towards the boy he was conversing with. Judging by how quickly his pen bobbed, Karkat was probably getting irked by this as much as everything else irked him. At the back of his mind, Dave wondered what he could be chatting about with this stranger.

The kid had honey-blonde hair, a tanned complexion and strange glasses, one of the lenses tinted red and the other blue. Probably something really nerdy was the reason behind it, but Dave was starting to lose his curiosity, going back to watching Karkat.

* * *

'_2o, who'2 the new kiid?_'

Sollux tapped his shoulder when Ms. Sanders wasn't looking, flashing him the message from his math journal. Karkat scowled, reminded of his terrible morning.

'_Fucking hell, Sol. Do you HAVE to use your dumbass quirk even when you're not texting.'_

Sollux was snickering as he wrote down his reply. '_You're ju2t jealou2 ii have a real quirk whil2t all you have ii2 2ome a22hole rage thiing. and you diidn't an2wer my que2tiion.'_

_'Fuck that Strider kid. He's an even bigger asshole than Eridan.'_

_'Wow, that bad? 2hould ii be concerned for you, KK? Diid the biig, bad blondey hurt your feeliing2?'_

_'Fuck you. It's hard enough he kept egging on me all morning. I don't want anymore of your shit.'_

_'KK ha2 a cru2h.'_

Karkat felt his insides squirm. The lines became messy and uneven so Sollux could see he was pissed, but his cheeks blossomed bright red. '_What the fuck, Sol! That is so fucking far from the truth, you almost slipped off the edge and down to your bloody fucking demise.'_

Sollux was trying hard to bite back his laughter. _'Problem? He'2 been 2taring at you for a whiile, 2ince 2ander2 told hiim off for spaciing out. You 2cored a good one, KK.'_

The bell rung before anymore writing could be done, and he could see if what was said was actually true. They both scooped up their papers for today, Karkat trying to hurry so he wouldn't be caught but no such luck. Sollux grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"No need to run, KK." He chuckled, enjoying this. "I th'wear I won't bite."

"You're fucking bark is even more annoying." Karkat spat back, but this didn't affect Sollux whatsoever. They had been close friend since forever, and they always had these small play fights everyday, whether it be in person or on Pesterchum. Him and Eridan, he knew the two longer than anyone else.

Sollux creased his brow this time. "You don't thound all that hot. You th'ick? Or are thothe fucking douth'es beating on you again?"

"I'm fine." Though every fiber in his body was saying he wasn't. And it wasn't just because of Strider. It pained him that it had to be be his best friend bugging him about it, but even though he asked, he already _knew._ And that seemed to aggravate him.

Sollux slammed his hands against the lockers Karkat pressed against, preventing him from running. "Don't fucking give me that. Thoth'e men are ath'aulting you again, aren't they? Damnit, KK. If you ath'ually went thomewhere tho thomeone could help you, you and Kankri wouldn't have to thuffer like thith."

He shivered fearfully, hating this aggressive side of his friend, but Karkat straightened regardless. "I've tried going to people. But people don't fucking give a damn about some little homo kid and his big homo brother."

Sollux scowled. "Then let me help. They'd probably kick my thkinny little ath, but at leatht I would have tried." He started to reach off to take off his glasses, showing that he was completely serious, but a hand flashed out of nowhere, grabbing his wrist.

"Hey, I thought you two were friends. Why the hostility?" Dave said levelly, but Karkat could see little lines just above those shades, revealing his concern. He was actually kind of happy to see the douche.

"Fuck off. Thith ithn't your busineth."

"Woah, that's some lisp there."

Sollux scowled, his speech implement had always been a touchy subject. "Whatever." He walked away, making it sting a little when he didn't turn around and say, 'thee you later, KK'.

"You okay?" Dave questioned, his head tilted. Karkat bristled immediately.

"No, I'm not fucking okay! I didn't need your help and that was nothing for you to get involved in."

"What's your number?"

"_What?__!" _

"I just wanted to know, since I'm new and all and I barely know anyone." Dave smirked. "Don't feel so flattered Karkitty, I didn't mean it that way."

Karkat scowled, but he could his face heat up. "Fucking whatever. Why didn't you just go ask Terezi or shit."

"You were the closest one when I thought about it. And shouldn't you be the slightest grateful, since that guy looked ready to beat your face in?"

"Sollux is my friend, fuckass. He wouldn't do that." but Karkat's voice wavered. Sollux's headaches had been getting worse and worse. It was hard to tell what he would and wouldn't do.

"'Kay. What's your address?"

That was a bit too nosy for Karkat. But surprisingly, after a sigh, he started giving the information he had been asked. "Jegus fuck, how do you do that? Is it those gogdamn shades? Do they twist the fucking thick pan to do whatever you fucking wish?"

"I don't think so, at least as far as I know." He said absently, placing the number and address in his phone. His smile returned. "So, would you like me to walk you to your next class, princess?"

"I can fucking do it myself!" Came the hissed reply as Karkat stalked off, Dave following with hidden laughter.

Maybe the guy wasn't _so_ bad...

* * *

The guy, Sollux, kind of agitated Dave. He didn't know his history with Karkat, but all through the day whenever they shared a class with him, he was glancing towards his so called friend with a dejected, longing look and was never once noticed. When he had seen Karkat pinned against the lockers like that, scared out of his mind, Dave was admittingly pissed. And even Terezi noticed how he silently steamed when thinking about it.

"What's the matter, Dave? Karkles getting under your skin?" She asked him at lunch, but all he did was shake his head.

The day when by quickly afterwards, with not much happening except homework, papers, and playful prodding and teasing at Karkat. Dave was starting to get the message that he was beginning to be tolerated and that motivated him even more. What got him so attached to this guy? He wasn't gay, that was for damn sure. Never had he checked out a guy, but never had he met a guy quite like Karkat. Maybe because of his years hiding his own emotions was the reason behind how well he saw past the Cancer, how selfless he really was despite his proclaimed, 'not giving a shit'.

At the end of the day, he tried his luck at visiting Karkat's house.

"Fucking no." Karkat spat over his shoulder as he started walking away. That was a bit crushing on his spirits, but Dave sucked it up and headed home, only entering to put away his bag and heading back out. So what if Karkat said he couldn't. He was persistent, and that wouldn't stop him from going anyways.

* * *

**Told you; crap. **

**I didn't want to just hand you the good stuff already. **

**I'm sorry ;-;**

**I'll get Chapter four done this weekend, or sooner is possible.**

**May happiness follow. 0u0**


	4. Broken Thoughts

**I have no words for this chapter...**

**I do want to thank lunanoel, KarkatIsChickenOrzo, LionessLycanthropy, Oreoo, greenluvr14, heylilyhilily, Bitblondetoday, and ParanoidSylph for being the first few people to follow, favorite, and reveiw, not including guests. **

**:U I love you guys, not in a creepy way though.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 4-_

* * *

Dave didn't expect to find himself in the rough side of town. Karkat actually lived around here? He just have had to walk a ways in order to get to the bus stop in time, that is, if any stopped around this neighborhood. Not that he blamed the drivers if there wasn't. Dave himself wouldn't want to drive through here and not look over his shoulder every five seconds to check if anyone was riding in the backseat. But he wasn't as worried while walking. Due to years of strife, and crappy rap battles, never had anyone but Dirk had beaten him in combat or rapping.

He tried to keep his focus off the various dirty alleyways for stragglers, and down on the numbers that labeled each house.

_1711... 1712... Ah, bingo! 1713._

Dave took a moment to study his destination. The house looked plain pitiful. It was ramshackle and dull. The only other plant besides weeds and crawlers was a skinny, grey tree missing a majority of it's leaves. The metal fence surrounding the home was layered with vines, not to mention the rust poking out between. He felt bad for Karkitty, no wonder the guy was so pissed off all the time. He lived in a crap house, no car was in the driveway, and just going up and down the steps was a death trap. Maybe that was why he had that bruise on his cheek, from falling down while rushing outside.

Pushing open the creaky gate easily, he made his way up to the entrance, careful not to stumble on one of the jutting cracks. This place needed some serious renovation. He knocked when he managed to get to the door without killing himself, but all was silent. Dave tried again, harder, this time the weak wooden door opening a crack.

He stared at the small opening, hesitant. If he did go inside, there was a slight chance someone would try and shoot him. Then again, he could be able to avoid it and slip back outside. Pushing the door open farther, uninvited, Dave entered the house.

It was much cleaner inside than out, the woods flooring was smooth if not a bit dusty. The first room must have been a living area, the kitchen to the right, and to the north was a hallway, three more doors visible. The silence bothered him, this wasn't his house and it shouldn't have been normal. Did Karkat live alone? Dave couldn't have made it here before him.

His steps slow and soft, Dave made his way to the very end room, his gut feeling leading him there. And yet, he didn't want to open the door. Something went against his gut feeling, a nagging voice that said, "Don't go in. You won't like what you find." Later that day, he would be questioning himself if following that notion would have been the right thing to do.

The hinges didn't creak like everything else, but when he let go, it continued to open. Dave let out a strangled gasp at the sight before him.

Karkat stood before a long dresser littered with papers and various other junk. His head was tilted down, silent tears streaming from his now dull eyes. His face was so unnaturally pale. He had the long sleeves of his sweater pulled up, holding out his left hand with some thing in his other, shaking terribly. No, not just 'some thing'. Dave just didn't want to acknowledge it.

It was a razor, it's silvery gleam noticeable even in the dim lighting. No blood stained it's edges yet, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. Seeing it in someone else's hand gave him nerve racking chills.

Dave dived forward, wrestling the blade out of his grip. Karkat uttered a small squeak but didn't put up much of a fight. The metal was heavy in his hands, making him drop it with a clatter. He studied the face of his friend, no longer recognizable with his cheeks tear-stained and appearing so lifeless. He looked like he barely knew who he was.

Finally, Karkat let out a choked sob, stumbling forward and forcing Dave into an embrace. He stiffened, not used to such contact. But the Cancer clung on tightly, crying even harder now onto his shoulder. He forgot about the uneasy feeling, holding him closer and murmuring soothing words into his ear.

Gradually they both sunk down to the floor, Dave holding him in his lap. Karkat kept muttering about how much of an idiot he was, and how much it hurt, which none of it was understandable, but made Dave feel so useless. All he could do was try and reassure him that he was wrong, while aware that none of his words were completely reaching him. It felt like hours were passing by, and all he could hope for was that his Karkitty would finally sleep.

He did, after a while. Dave's shirt felt stiff with all the tugging and crying, but he didn't mind. nor care. Careful not to wake him and hold the returning, stifling silence, he hooked his arm under Karkat's legs, lifting him up bridal style towards his bed. All he could think of was what possibly could have possessed the boy to attempt something like... _this._ As if doing it for him, Karkat let out a small sigh in his slumber.

He couldn't help but smile. Even now, the kitten was adorable as ever. Setting him down amongst the mass of pillows and blankets -noting how gray it all looked- Dave ran his thumb across his cheek. The bags were still there, and the bruise, and with the fresh tears his skin felt a bit rugged. But also smooth. Leaning down, he brushed his lips ever so softly against Karkat's forehead, feeling his face grow a bit hot with embarrassment.

"Who are you?!"

Someone, older, exclaimed at the door, Dave whipping around on instinct. The stranger looked almost like Karkat, but with a baggy red sweater and locks that curled around his face. His eyes were wide in surprise and fear, kind of strange coming from someone older and taller, but what was even more noticeable was the cut that oozed blood just above his brow. In fact, the guy looked like he had been pummeled into the dirt. Though in such a condition, and appearing as if he couldn't hurt a fly regardless, he was ready to fight.

"Ah, shit."

* * *

**Meehhh... ;-; I feel so terrible... **

**I kinda cried while writing this.**

**May you have... May you be a better person than I am. ;-;**


	5. Brothers

**;-; I'm so sorry, friends. I never meant to take so long to update, but so it happens school, sickness, friend problems, personal problems and various other things got in my way. I did discover Msparp though, I'm often as my ocs, mercurialAdversary ( Casias ) and ****intellectualExile ( Cuirst ).**

**Am I ashamed of having fantrolls? No, no I am not.**

**I want to welcome BenchmarkRadius, CaptainUnicornz, Chaotic Consumption, Pineapple Fairy Queen and Natalie Potter The Time Lady, since they, for some reason, seem to like this small piece of work. **

******Also, lunanoel, KarkatIsChickenOrzo, LionessLycanthropy, Oreoo, greenluvr14, heylilyhilily, Bitblondetoday, and ParanoidSylph, since they're still here too. **

******I'm sure you're all growing tired of me and my useless words, so please let's continue on to the story.**

_Chapter 5_

* * *

"Who are you?"

The stranger repeated. With a second glance, Dave figured he could have been a cousin or older brother. There still was the mystery of how and why he was so beaten up. "I'm a, um.. friend of Karkat's," he tried to explain. "When I got here, he was asleep. My name is Dave Strider."

The older teen relaxed, but still looked a little skeptical. Then his eyes were drawn to something on the floor...

_Oh, shit... _Dave would have face palmed, x2 combo, right then. He had completely forgotten about the blade, sitting blissfully on the flooring. The guy probably thought he was some serial killer or something now, considering the kind of people that wandered outside. It was much to his surprise, when instead of throwing him out right then and there, Karkat's older duplicate stepped to the side and held the door open for him.

"I am terrible sorry, Mr. Strider, for my triggering words. I was being a little too over-cautious considering the neighborhood that we live in is very negative and apart of the very abusive community. I wasn't trying to set you among them though your glasses and general look may trigger some into belief that you are similar to such said residents, even such young kids your age. Might I suggest you try a different, more subtle look. I'm sure something much different, anything really, will be much more suiting."

Dave stopped himself before his jaw dropped. What was up with this guy? He was definitely one of those people who judged others and made it sound like he was justifying it. And what was his thing with triggers? At least it was definite about one thing; both he and Karkat had a large set of lungs. _  
_

Dave just mumbled, "Sure..." as he walked past, giving a bit of distance between his feet and the razor. He could still see it gripped tightly in Karkat's hand, shaking slightly from his nervousness-

Before his imagination got too out of hand, he exited the room. As he passed through the hall, he caught a glimpse of himself through a rectangular hanging mirror. Gog, if it hadn't been for the shades he would have looked terrified. Instead, he was just paler than normal, spooked even. He let out a shaky sigh, admitting to himself how much a fright Karkat had given him... Sure, the kid looked a little emo, and had notable imprints under his eyes, but this was something he wouldn't have predicted in a million years. Maybe he just didn't know him well enough and this was something everyone knew of.

"Would you like something to drink?" The teen, still behind him, broke into his thoughts. "Maybe a carbonated, sugar drink to energize the mind, or a type of fruit flavored -"

"Apple juice." Dave said quickly before the guy could start ranting. Jeez, he was going to go insane if every time there was an added lecture to each reply. And that would be even more so depressing considering the circumstances.

While the teen went off to fulfill his request, Dave mulled over things, staring down at his hands. He wasn't sure what to think. After all, in the short day he got to know him, Karkat didn't strike him as depressed, not enough for this... Maybe he was one of those that just put on an act, a facade-

He jerked as someone tapped on his shoulder. Oh yeah, that teen. He held out the glass of heavenly liquid to Dave, though he looked distracted by a phone in his other hand. Silently, Dave accepted the drink though didn't take a sip of it immediately. It was his favorite thing in the world and yet he didn't feel obliged to indulge himself in it. Something was definitely up with him.

"So..." He started off awkwardly, staring down into the slightly transparent liquid. "What's your name?"

"Kankri Vantas. I'm Karkat's older brother," he finally looked back up. "Might I ask why you are here? Or rather how? Karkat doesn't often invite friends over and I've never seen you before, nor heard mention of you. It is quite strange to find a boy in your house that you've never seen before."

Dave squirmed. "Yeah, about that. I sort of came on my own, no invitation. He was asleep when I got here though. I didn't like assault him or anything."

Kankri's tired eyes widened a little, a sign of surprise. "Well... No one has ever done that before. How well are you and Karkat friends?"

"Not very good... I just met him today and he seems to hate me."

"He acts like he hates everyone," came the blatant reply. "He's probably very fond of you but instead shows great resentment. I always tell him people will be triggered by this, but he never follows."

Dave shrugged, "I'm not ...triggered by any of it. It's kinda cu- amusing." He stopped himself, then quickly changed the subject. "How'd you get so beaten up."

Kankri seemed to turn sullen. "Yes... As I mentioned the neighborhood is very negative. Especially towards people with different orientations such as myself."

He put two and two together, "Wait, you're gay?"

"Yes," Kankri flushed, "I hope you're not triggered by any of this, nor you feel the need to break any ties with Karkat."

"No, actually my bro is gay, he just broke up with his ex-boyfriend." Dave jerked with realization. "Ah, shit. He'll probably kick my ass for being out so late without telling him." Without saying anything more, he set down the cup still full and rushed out the door, leaving Karkat's brother floundering.

* * *

Dave didn't pause all the way home, only once he reached the door did he stop to catch his breath. Dirk would be somewhere inside, slinking around like normal and waiting for strife. He tensed his shoulders, wishing he could have held on to his bag in case one of those shitty katanas were inside. They were everywhere else, why not there?

Turning the knob and pushing the door open without entering, Dave expected a random stab at him or a quick shuriken to the head. But what waited for him instead was probably even more unexpected.

The place was clean.

Not a single smuppet or some sort of weapon littered the floor. The microwave was probably empty of felt men. It looked like something actually took the time to wipe off any surface and leave it sparkling. In fact, that same person was still working on cleaning out the refrigerator of various sharp objects.

"Dirk?" Dave raised a brow. "What the hell? Is this our house?"

"Yes it is, you little shit. Where were you?" The elder brother dumped the pile of swords onto the floor with a loud clatter, turning those ridiculous anime shades towards him. "It's been like an hour since school ended and you're just now getting home."

"I'm sixteen, I can handle myself." Dave said like a rebellious teen. "What about all this? Why the spring cleaning, it was ages ago y'know."

"Someone's coming over."

He groaned audibly. He knew what that meant. "Another boy toy already? I don't want to be kept up all night while you do God knows what."

The corners of Dirk's mouth twitched into a smirk. "Pipe it, and it's - he's - not a boy toy. Jake and me are going out to dinner."

"Why'd you clean the house then?"

"Why are you complaining about a clean house?"

"Shut up Bro."

Dave grumbled as he started to walk past but was stopped by Dirk's hand on his shoulder. He had slipped his shades off into his free hand, his light orange eyes filled with concern. "What's up, little shit? You look like someone died. Do we need to hide a body?"

He shrugged his shoulder absently, not fazed by the brotherly attention. "Fine. Don't know what the hell you mean." Before Dirk could bug him more about it, Dave retreated into the hallway and into his room, shutting the door and locking it to make his point made. His problems could be handled, he didn't need anyone else to-

What was he saying? Why was he acting like Karkat was a problem of his. He knew him for a day, just because he caught him in the middle of his own private business doesn't immediately make them any closer or anything. In fact, the kid would probably be avoiding him for life.

Dave rubbed the side of his head, trying to force out those thoughts. Why was this bugging him so much? Maybe because he could relate. Or he felt sorry for the guy. Without undressing he crawled into bed and stared up at the ceiling, silence hanging over the Strider household. He just needed to take a moment to process everything. Closing his eyes, he reached up and slowly took off his shades. He didn't reopen them right away. He already felt naked and vulnerable even alone.

He was a freak. That was plain and simple. If anyone ever found out, they would all avoid him. It was inevitable.

* * *

**This chapter is ... meehhh. I feel like I could have done something better. And I rushed a little trying to get everything done... **

**I suck at this, don't I? Blech. Makes me wanna poke every word with a stick. Le sigh.**

**May you all have joyous days ahead 0u0**


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